Life Questions...

A number of questions that keep me distracted at all the wrong moments, sometimes in my waking hours, sometimes in my dreams and delusions, sometimes in that strange and wonderful worlds between waking and sleeping, when "reality" fades and intuition takes over...

- Why are aardvarks so unappreciated?


- Why is the sky blue, and not another colour?


- Why do plants live for such a short time, but manage to regenerate whilst humans whither away to dust after their alotted time?


- Are societies intentional, accidental or statistical forms of interaction between individuals?


- If I keep my eyes closed, will the universe still be there when I open them?


- If I keep my eyes open, will the universe remain comprehensible when I learn new things?


- Is reality something I invent in my own mind or is it projected on to me by the environment in which I live?


- What is reality?



- What is a universe?


- Who am I?


- Who are you?


Keep well...

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The European Songfestival 2007

Whatever happened, a couple of entries last Saturday evening were totally worthy of notice... some for the clarity and purity of voice, others for the original presentation, others again for a new and refreshing approach to the whole Eurovision circus...

The clips are a reflection of my own taste (and in all honesty, Katie concurred with me on this whole listing), in the order I'd have liked them to have won ;-)


Bulgaria


Romania


Moldova


Slovenia

And finally, the eventual winners... a technically well-done effort but lacking the emotional qualities i look for in the music I love... perhaps my own deformity but one I've come to learn to trust...

Serbia

Such a pity when mediocrity becomes the norm. Keep well....

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The Bayeux Tapestry

Dedicated to those with a love of history, art and literature in general... an animated portrayal of the events surrounding the Battle of Hastings as enacted in 1066 and recorded in the famous Bayeux Tapestry...

A tragedy unfolded at that moment, yet it was one which was a seminal moment in European history in hindsight. England progressed to a higher state, for better or for worse, the seriousness and silence of the Dark Ages made way for a new order, one which we in the Anglo-Saxon world should cherish for the renewal it brought...

Keep well...

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Three Little Pigs

This is a true story, proving how fascinating the mind of a six year old is. They think so logically.


A teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class. She came to the part of the story where first pig was trying to gather the building materials for his home.


OK, so this was the third pig, being hassled by a construction safety official.
She read, "… and so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow full of straw and said: "Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?" The teacher paused then asked the class: "And what do you think the man said?"

One little boy raised his hand and said very matter of factly "I think the man would have said: "Well, f * ck me! A talking pig!"


Yep, unexpected qualities to be found here ;-)
The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.


Keep well...

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Highly tangential update

Deep thoughts and grave doubts about family life... where does the personal part of myself end and the communal or political part take over... where are the boundaries between me and we, the intimate and the public?


The pressure is up, once again... the discussions and disgreements are in full sway, distance and distraction distorting, disturbing a way of life I'd taken for granted up to now...


We worry about each other, but seem unable to put aside personal fictions whilst attempting understanding and reconciliation on our own irreconcilable terms...


The phoenix is rising yet again, but the world in which it lived is crashing down into pitieous ruin, illlusions and preconceptions dashed onto the walls of proscribed realities... I need to redefine so much and in such depth, the energy needed is astounding at moments.


It is said that humans can never be free, because they are born and bred in a mould not of their own choosing... the choices they make are limited by the conditions of their upbringing, the lucky few are able to look beyond the boundaries... to sense, see and smell the possibilities which lie beyond the limited frameworks accepted beforehand... that would be a gift, a treasure indeed...


Keep well...

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The Elf Fantasy Fair 2007

One of the finest moments of the year, the Elf Fantasy Fair (2007) which has been held at the castle of Haarzuilens since 2005. A yearly moment of escape for all those who love to be different for must a small while, this time spread across three days from Friday April 20th until Sunday 22nd...


Eldest Daughter a friend from France who came over for the festivities...
I doesn't really matter what you're interested in, or how you choose to dress up... just the fact that you like being different and will accept the fact that others do that in their own way is reason enough to participate...


An odd coïncidence, the girl at the right is the sister of one of Eldest Daughter's friends.
It doesn't matter if you're into gothic stuff, if you like to dress up as a historical figure, an elf, a goblin or a monster of whaever kind... anybody and everybody is welcome. There's an enormous range of styles, Roman, Lord of the Rings, Victorian, Middle Age crusaders, whatever...


Made during a folk/traditional dancing workshop.
So many beautiful people who radiated an elegance rarely seen in daily life, vibrant and self-assuredly happy.


Several of the finer Victorian costumes present, the girl at the right with the red curls was a particular eye-catcher for the photographers present.
There were many activities to participate in the course of the day, there were Live Action Role-Playing workshops, mock Roman-Cartegian battles, Elven-Orc wars and re-enacted Crusades... if you liked, you could also just be as silly as you liked and organise an altercation all of your own with friends, enemies and whover else ;-)


You could do what you liked really, you could also opt out if so inclined... Katie, making daisy chains...
In the course of the day, a costume competition was held... the style was unimportant, the authenticity and the realism was... to be honest, I have no idea who won this year and in a way I don't think it's particularly important, so many people made such an enormous effort, they're all winners in my eyes.


A Legolas look-alike, with an excellent costume and attributes up to and including an excellently well-made elven bow with attendant arrows.
It was a wonderful couple of days for me too. I assumed the role of observer, the photographer in his natural element. I learned a lot, learned to look in new and different ways, learned how to make photos in different and exciting settings and surprised myself at moments also. There are a couple of photos of which I'm genuinely proud and although they might have been taken by accident I can still see an enormous progression in the whole range of photos, compared to those made last year and the year before.

The Elf Fantasy Fair is an event I look forward to, every year. A day or two of release, of relaxation and just "letting one's hair down" ;-)

Take a look if you like, at the photos of the
Elf Fantasy Fair 2007
Elf Fantasy Fair 2006
Elf Fantasy Fair 2005

Keep well, keep your fantasies alive, dare to dream and never forget to be yourself...

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